Contest Announcement!!!

CupKozy Twitter Contest Winners - 1/30/09 from Cup Kozy on Vimeo

OK everybody, the time has come! We did this the old fashioned way and literally pulled some names out of a hat. Our official contest winner is...*drum roll please*...
(this is where you hit the "play" button)

Winners will be contacted directly. Thanks again to everybody who entered!
-Team Kozy

P.S. We had some extra love to give so we pulled 2 more names who will receive a FREE CupKozy!

Photo shoot in progress...

We are currently re-shooting all of the CupKozy website photos. We're also taking pics of some new colors that will soon be available. That reminds me - keep an eye out for an Earth Day CupKozy this April! It will feature an awesome, bold print with vibrant color. We're SO excited to be releasing those! Best of all, part of your purchase will be going to an environmental charity. More details on that coming soon. Stay tuned...

CupKozy out and about (part II)

On Saturday we headed out to visit our friends at Locali in Hollywood. We got to sample very generous portions of their delicious offerings. First we tried the "Fignana Tamal" - a sweet tamale made with fig that encases a delicious banana center, mmmm! Since we're omnivores we sampled their corn-fed beef hot dog and I can safely say that this was the best (and biggest) hot dog I've had in really a long time. The casing even had that "pop" that you typically find in a quality dog. We also got our hands on some vegan ethiopian wraps from their refrigerated section that were mighty tasty. The best item, in my opinion, was their chicken soup. I can only describe this hearty soup as the type of thing you will crave every time you miss home. Comfort food at its best!

Aside from their delicious fare, they have seating indoors and outdoors in case you're not in too much of a hurry and they serve everything in biodegratable containers. They even provide a separate trash receptacle just for compostable items. Most of their stuff is locally sourced and genuinely good for you! Certainly can't say the same about places like 7-11. I challenge you to show me another convenience store that carries a variety of meltable vegan cheeses and soyrizo. They've thought of everything at Locali and that's why we love them. It doesn't hurt that the owners, Greg & Melissa, are pretty awesome too :)

Go! Now! 5825 Franklin Ave. Los Angeles, CA

P.S. Did I mention they carry CupKozys there? ;)

CupKozy out and about (part I)

On Friday we played hookie and headed downtown to the Go Green Expo. Since it was "Green Business day", we got a chance to chat with lots of exhibitors and did a little networking with other green biz owners. We were surprised that we didn't find anything terribly innovative on the showroom floor, however, I did get suckered into purchasing a "java wand" which is like a straw with a french press filter attached to the bottom of it. We spent much of the day trying to spread the word about CupKozy and got really good responses from the people we spoke to.


After we had exhausted all of our walking & talking energy, we took a much needed break during the screening of the Sundance award-winning documentary, FUEL. This amazing and inspiring film received thunderous applause and a standing ovation. They had a panel discussion after the film with the director/star Josh Tickell, Peter Fonda and Mariel Hemmingway (who swore they would personally take the film to the White House). It's that good. If it comes to your town, it is an absolute MUST. Check out their official website to watch the trailer and get more info on where it's playing. I promise it will leave you feeling more hopeful than you can ever imagine :)

New retailer

If you're in the Hollywood/L.A. area, you can now purchase the CupKozy at Locali - an eco convenience store located in the trendy "Franklin Village" area, nestled between Hollywood Blvd. and the Hollywood hills. We're very excited to be among the carefully curated, green goodies being offered at this fine little establishment.

Their grand opening is tomorrow, 1/22/09 so stop by and check them out!

We're having a contest on Twitter!

CupKozy.com updates

It's the calm after the holiday season and things have been chill enough for us to work on the CupKozy website. We've added two new sections:

-CupKozy Press

A list of some notable CupKozy blog mentions :)

-CupKozy Wholesale

Info on how to order wholesale or custom printed CupKozys. They're great for either re-sale or promotional "swag", even green party favors!

1/20/09 - Change has come.

"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek."  -Barack Obama

So proud.

Latte Art

I really want to learn how to make latte art, just so I can look down at my mug and see something deliciously inspiring every day. This guy makes it look so easy! I'm sure it's anything but.

I also found a lovely Flickr photo set with a bunch of cool latte art pics. Check em' out here. 

Cuppery

Today I discovered some fun videos by Jason of CoffeeCupNews.org He posts videos of coffee tastings and his sheer enthusiasm for coffee is totally contagious. Watching his videos is really making me want to go on a cupping excursion. 

What is cupping, you ask?

It's basically the formal term for coffee tasting. More specifically, it's a method coffee tasters use to evaluate a coffee's characteristics. If you really want to learn more about cupping and the traits of different coffees, this is a great introduction: www.2basnob.com

OR

You can watch Jason's "How to do a coffee tasting" video. He breaks it down nicely :)

600th Sale!

Over the weekend we had our 600th sale at our Etsy shop - WOO!

What's in a name? ...

The diagram above explains it quite simply and literally. (click image for a larger view)

New Color!

Say hello to our newest members. Tomorrow we will be releasing this new trim color along with our exclusive, new print. It's a combination of our logo and the cup silhouette print that you've all seen, done in a very subtle way. We'll also be making the purple trim that you saw on the Day Of The Dead kozys a regular member of our color line-up.

 

And speaking of our limited edition Day Of The Dead CupKozys, we're down to our last 8 pieces so If you've been wanting one, now's the time. Once they're gone, they're GONE!

New tea offerings at Starbucks

- Black Tea Latte - described as a bold, invigorating combination of black tea and freshly steamed milk
- Vanilla Rooibos Latte - "a naturally caffeine-free infusion of botanicals that unites South African rooibos (ROY’-bus), Tahitian vanilla, sweet spices and freshly steamed milk"
- London Fog Latte - an intriguing blend of black tea, citrusy bergamot, French lavender, vanilla and freshly steamed milk.  

- Apple Chai Infusion - (Hot or Iced)
- Berry Chai Infusion - (Hot or Iced)
- New Green Tea Latte Recipe - (The drink will now be made with Classic Syrup. Water is also being eliminated from the recipe, as we will now be steaming the matcha directly into the milk).

I think I might try the Vanilla Rooibos Latte, the next time I go - except I'll probably ask if they can make it with soy milk. Sounds like a good caffeine-free option!

Source: Starbucks Gossip